From Sh Fawzaan's explanation of Sharh-us-Sunnah:‘and he has innovated’- Innovation is whatever is from the matters of worship or from matters of creed and beliefs or from sayings and it does not have a proof from the Book and the Sunnah (that is an innovation). He sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said,“Whoever does an action which our affair is not in accordance with, it is rejected.”[1]

And in a narration, “Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not from it then it is rejected.”[2]

And he said, “And beware of newly introduced matters for every newly introduced matter is a bid`ah (an innovation) and every innovation is misguidance”[3].

So innovation is whatever has been introduced into the religion and it is not from it. And how can it be known that it is not from it?

If it does not have a daleel, a proof, then it is not from the Religion, because Allaah the Majestic and Most High says:

So the Religion is complete, and all praise is for Allaah; it does not accept any additions. So it is just upon us to come to know of the Religion which Allaah the Mighty and Majestic completed, and to cling to it and that we abandon whatever is besides it from additions and from things which people deem to be good introductions and from supplements and from other than that, because these things only take people farther away from Allaah the Majestic and Most High. And there will follow a clarification that: No people introduce an innovation except that its like (a like amount of it) will be taken away from the Sunnah.[5]

So this is the correct and straight path, adhering to the Jamaa`ah, adhering to the Sunnah and abandoning innovations.

His saying, ‘And every innovation is misguidance’ – so there is no such thing as bid`ah hasanah, ‘good innovation’, as some people say. Rather all innovations are misguidance by the textual statement of the hadeeth of the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam when he said, “For every newly invented matter is an innovation (bid`ah) and every innovation is misguidance.”[6] So innovations in the Religion, there is nothing good from them at all, rather all of them are misguidance and this is the speech of the Messenger sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam who did not speak from desires.

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[1] Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh (1718) and reported by al-Bukhaaree in disconnected form in his Saheeh from a hadeeth of Aa`ishahradiyAllaahu `anhaa.

[2] Reported by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh (hadeeth 2550) and by Muslim in his Saheeh (hadeeth 1718) from (a hadeeth of) Aa`ishah radiyAllaahu `anhaa.

[3] This is part of a hadeeth of al-`Irbaad ibn Saariyah radiyAllaahu `anhu, and its checking has preceded. (The checking of this hadeeth is reported by Imaam Ahmad and Aboo Daawood and at-Tirmithee and Ibn Maajah and it was declared authentic by Shaykh al-Albaanee).

[4] Translator’s side point: This aayah came down on the day of `Arafah on the 10th year of the Hijrah.

(There is) a famous saying from Imaam Maalik: So whatever was not Religion on that day it will never be Religion today.

[5] Hassaan ibn `Atiyyah (from the taabi`een) rahimahullaah said, “A people never introduce an innovation in their Religion except that Allaah takes away from their Sunnah its like and then He does not return it to them right until the Day of Resurrection.” Reported by ad-Daarimee and Aboo Nu`aym in al-Hilyah and al-Laalikaa~ee in (his book) Sharh Usool I`tiqaad Ahlis-Sunnah wal-Jamaa`ah.

Translator’s side point: With regards to this taabi`ee, Hassaan ibn Atiyyah, Shaykh al-Albaanee said in his notes to al-Mishkaat: He was a great and noble taab`iee who died in the year 130. Shaykh al-Albaanee said with regard to this report from him: Its chain of narration is saheeh and its like is also reported as a saying of Aboo Hurayrah radiyAllaahu `anhu reported by Abul-`Abbaas ibn al-Assam in his hadeeth.

[6] This occurs in a number of ahaadeeth, from them the hadeeth of al-`Irbaad ibn Saariyah which has just preceded, also a hadeeth of Jaabir reported by an-Nasaa~ee as hadeeth 1578 and also by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh; and the basis of this hadeeth occurs in Saheeh Muslim ashadeeth no 768.

So from the Sunnah is adhering to the Jamaa`ah – meaning adhering to the united body, of the Muslims, and what is meant by the Jamaa`ah here is the united body of the Muslims who are upon the Truth[1].

As for the jamaa`aat, the groups which are not upon the Truth, then these are not called the true Jamaa`ah. Every Jamaa`ah which gathers upon misguidance or upon a methodology contrary to Islaam or upon a way contrary to Islaam, then it is not called the trueJamaa`ah that which is required and praiseworthy.

So the Jamaa`ah, the united body, which is meant here, they are the people of the Truth and this does not necessitate that they must be numerous, rather even if it is a single person upon the Truth then he will be called the Jamaa`ah, the united body. So theJamaa`ah is those who are upon the Truth, whether its people are few or whether they are many, so you adhere to whoever is upon the Truth and you do not contradict the Jamaa`ah which is upon the Truth, rather you should be with them upon the Truth. So whoever splits from the Jamaa`ah, the united body, then explanation of this will follow.

__________[1] Translator’s side point: This is something which is authentically reported as the statement of the noble Companion `Abdullaah ibn Mas`oodradiyAllaahu `anhu that he explained with this same meaning what is meant by ‘Jamaa`ah’. Shaykh al-Albaanee rahimahullaah mentioned in his notes to Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, Volume 1, page 61, the statement of `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood radiyAllaahu `anhu in that regard, that he said, “The Jamaa`ah is whatever conforms to the Truth even you are alone.” Shaykh al-Albaanee said this is reported by Ibn Asaakir in his Taareekh Dimashq, volume 13, page 322 part number 2, with an authentic, a saheeh chain from him.

[translated by Abu Talhah rahimahullaah]

(listen to the whole lesson here)(listen to the whole transcript here)

His saying ‘so we ask Him for success in attaining that which He loves and is pleased with’ - a person should ask Allaah for firmness even though he knows the truth and acts upon it and holds it as his belief, then still he should not feel secure that he will not deviate or be put to trial, such that trials and tribulations come to him and overcome him so that he strays away from the path of Allaah, and therefore, he sallAllaahu `alayhi wa sallam said:

And al-Khaleel (His especially beloved one - the Prophet Ibraaheem, the one described as the father of the Prophets) alayhis-salaatu wassalaam said in his supplication:

And keep me and my sons far removed from worshipping the idols. O my Lord they have caused the misguidance of many of the people.(Soorah Ibraaheem (14), aayahs 35 and 36)

He feared for himself and likewise the stronger a person’s eemaan in Allaah is then the more he will fear and not feel secure with regards to trials and tribulations and he will not commend himself (declare himself pure, good, fine and so forth) rather he will always and continually ask Allaah for firmness and for a fine conclusion to his life and he will fear having an evil conclusion and he will fear trials and tribulations and he will fear deviation and misguidance and the callers to evil.

His saying, “With the proofs”: not due to taqleed (blind following), but rather with the proofs from the Qur’aan and from the Sunnah – this is knowledge.

Ibn ul-Qayyim said in Al-Kaafiyat-ush-Shaafiyah:

Knowledge is Allaah said, His Prophet said, The Companions said – they are the possessors of knowledge and awareness

Knowledge is not that you foolishly raise up a disagreement Between the Messenger and the opinion of so-and-so.

This is what is knowledge, knowledge is the knowledge contained in the Book and the Sunnah. As for the sayings of the’ulemaa (the scholars), then they only explain and clarify the speech of Allaah and the speech of the Messenger sallallaahu’alaihiwasallam, and some of them may contain a mistake, and the proofs are not the speech of the ’ulemaa, rather the proofs are the aayahs of the Qur’aan and the Prophetic ahadeeth. As for the speech of scholars, then it explains and clarifies that, except it is not a proof in itself.

With regards to the description of ‘Eesaa ‘alaihissalaam being described as “His Word which He conveyed to Maryam”[1] the Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah states:Allaah applied the (term) “Word” to him because he ‘alaihissalaam was created by means of a word. So the hadeeth is not taken upon its apparent (literal) meaning, since ‘Eesaa ‘alaihissalaam was not a word because he used to eat and drink and pass urine and open his bowels. And all the (usual) human situations would occur to him.Allaah, the Most High, states:Indeed the example of ‘Eesaa with Allaah is just as the example of Aadam. He (Allaah) created him from dust then He said to him, “Be!” and he was.Soorah aale ‘Imraan (3) aayah 59And ‘Eesaa ‘alaihissalaam was not the Word of Allaah because the Speech of Allaah is an Attribute existing with Him and not separate and distinct from Him. As for ‘Eesaa, then he was a being separate and distinct from Allaah subhaanahu ; he would come and go and eat food and drink.(Al qawl ul mufeed (1/73) of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al ‘Uthaymeen rahimahullaah, translated by Nasser ibn Najam)[1] Hadeeth reported by Al Bukhaaree (4453) and Muslim (28)

Fataawaa & Fawaa'id

Beneficial quotes from the Sunnah or the Salafee Scholars of the past and present.

Each post is categorised according to the subject, source and scholar.